Scargill cleared

Scargill cleared

By Frank Noakes

LONDON — Inland Revenue has finally cleared National Union of Mineworkers president Arthur Scargill, and recently retired general secretary Peter Heathfield, of any impropriety in running the union's financial accounts.

In 1990 the Daily Mirror, paper of the late and unlamented Robert Maxwell, and a TV station ran a smear campaign against the NUM and its leading officials. They alleged that Scargill and Heathfield were corrupt and had breached their duties to the membership. The Inland Revenue investigation found that the allegations were "entirely untrue" and that all money was accounted for.

It was also alleged that Scargill had diverted £1 million, donated by the Soviet Communist Party to striking miners in 1985, into an account for other purposes. This was also untrue.

Further, the Guardian has evidence that the smear campaign was linked to a "counter-subversion" operation against the NUM by the security services. Since his death, it has been revealed that Maxwell may have been in collusion with the secret services.

From GLW issue 66